Randolph, Iowa's Bounty on Cats Out, Spay and Neuter is In

Ever since Mayor Vance Trively instituted a $5 bounty payment on
catching and delivering live cats and dogs to the him to be killed,
Alley Cat Allies has been working--with your help--to put a stop to the
inhumane practice.

Thanks to the more than 3,500 letters you sent and to the help of
local supporters and the Iowa State Veterinarian, the Randolph, Iowa's
City Council has overridden the mayor's plan.

Supporters and Feral Friends Network members Larry and Diane Shackman
attended the council meeting on March 13 on Alley Cat Allies' behalf
and presented the city council and mayor with an offer to assist with
launching a Trap-Neuter-Return program.

Given the cease and desist request to the mayor from the state
veterinarian, the city council voted to shut down the mayor's
operation and institute an effective, humane program. Alley Cat Allies
will work with Randolph City to implement a Trap-Neuter-Return program
including workshops which will help educate residents about feral
cats.

Alley Cat Allies thanks all of the advocates who helped make this
campaign a rousing success. We are designing a program for Randolph,
and will be sharing it with you and the Randolph City Council in the
coming days.

See how the story unfolded below.

A Bounty on Feral Cats in Randolph, Iowa
There has been national media frenzy over a story in Randolph, Iowa
(pop. 209) where the mayor has instituted a $5 bounty payment on the
catching and delivering of live cats and dogs to the mayor so that
they can be taken to a local vet and killed. The mayor has already
received two cats, which he housed on his property.

Not only is the practice inhumane and ineffective, it could result in
the surrendering of companion cats and dogs.

Alley Cat Allies has been hard at work reaching out to Mayor Vance
Trively, requesting that he put an immediate stop to his trap-and-kill
policy, and encouraging him to implement a Trap-Neuter-Return
program.

Residents are concerned about the plan devised by the mayor, voted on
by the city council, and implemented March 1st.

Becky Robinson, President of Alley Cat Allies, has both spoken to
Mayor Trively and sent him a letter explaining what Trap-Neuter-Return
is and why it has proven to be the most effective, humane method of
managing outdoor cat populations.

Still, the mayor refused our help, saying he would only listen to us
if we attended the city council meeting on Thursday, March 13, 2008 to
voice our opinion.

With your help, we will continue to push for an immediate
discontinuation of the bounty and implementation of Trap-Neuter-
Return.

The government leaders of Randolph, IA do not have access to fax or e-
mail.

Read the Mayor's announcement.

Read Alley Cat Allies' Press Release.

UPDATE
Thursday, March 13, 2008: After attempts to work with Mayor Trively
proved unfruitful, our legal team spent the morning researching the
local laws in Iowa and Freemont County. We quickly learned that the
actions of the Mayor were potentially unlawful and took the initiative
to alert the authorities.

We took action which resulted in the Iowa State Veterinarian promising
to send a letter to the Mayor to alert him that it is unlawful to
accept animals from the public without proper authorization from the
state and a license to operate a pound. The State Veterinarian
requested that he cease and desist with harboring animals given to him
by the public.

Alley Cat Allies remained vigilant.

We contacted the Freemont County Sherriff's office to request an
investigation of the conditions in which the two cats were being held.
We sought to ensure that the Mayor was in compliance with the state
laws pertaining to animal negligence. Mayor Trively told us on
Wednesday that one cat had already died in his care. We requested an
investigation be done as to the cause of death. Further, we were told
that the other cat has been taken from the Mayor's home and brought to
be boarded at a local veterinarian. We will continue to press for an
investigation and we will see to it that justice is served for the cat
that died.

Alley Cat Allies is proud to say that other national organizations
have reached out to Randolph, Iowa including Best Friends Animal
Sanctuary in Kenab, Utah. We sent a letter which will be delivered by
one of our Feral Friends Network members to the Mayor and the City
Council of Randolph tonight at the City Council meeting stating again
that we are here to help and further that other organizations have
volunteered to help - if they simply end their trap-and-kill program.

With your help, more than 2500 letters have been sent to the city of
Randolph, Iowa requesting that they cease their inhumane bounty
program.